


Pokemon Go UMass

by CyberCanine



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon GO, amherst, umass, university of massachusetts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Multi, Polyamory, Slow Burn, amherst - Freeform, umass - Freeform, umass amherst, university of Massachusetts - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 19:38:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8026417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberCanine/pseuds/CyberCanine
Summary: Spark, Blanche, and Candela are obviously research students in their respective fields, but this story imagines them at a particular university. The real-world college of UMass Amherst (my would-be Alma Mater). I will be making reference to the college, but will keep it limited, so you don't need to attend UMass or live in the area to understand the full context.
The premise and first few chapters go into how and why they all live together in a small apartment in town, and what they get up to. Spark and Blanche are old friends, Candela knows Spark through school, and they all live under one roof with their pokemon. 
Hope you enjoy! Feel free to read through the lense of this being a gigantic shitpost, because lord knows I refuse to take myself seriously on this.





	Pokemon Go UMass

“Well, this is it.” Spark says to his friend, pulling into the parking lot of a small apartment late at night. “I know it’s not the McMansion you’re used to, but it beats the dorms. Plus, I’ve been moving furniture into it over the summer, so we can just head in and crash.”

“Honestly? I’m glad to be out of my parent’s place once and for all. Community college was nice, but I’m so excited for my own living space.” Blanche steps out of the car, hopeful that their friend hasn’t arranged their new home like his old trailer park dwellings. 

“Moving back and forth from the dorms to my dad’s place was hell.”

“...and he kept birthnaming you…” The spiky-haired Junior grumbles.

“You seriously give him more grief for that than even I do.” they shrug “Still, it’ll be nice to live, work, and study with nothing but affirming college people full time now.”

“Speaking of which, I made sure that our third was someone who would be on your side with that sort of thing. A friend of mine from the parkour club named Candela; very fun, very high-energy, very queer.”

“The short-haired girl I saw you with at the dining commons, right? I think I remember her” They reach the door as they talk, Blanche’s heart picking up as they arrive, unsure what they’ll find inside.

 

Spark opens the door swiftly, bursting in with arms out in excessive showmanship. “This is it!” he announces, turning backwards to see Blanche’s face as they study the place for the first time, his Jolteon nuzzling the side of his leg in greeting. He’s thankful to find that his friend’s face isn’t one of disgust or horror, but rather passive study as they look around and take it in. As the seconds go by, a slight smile grows on Blanche as they decide more and more that they could get used to the decor. 

They walk through the kitchen first, seeing the small assortment of secondhand appliances that Spark was able to get his hands on. Blanche knows they’ll have to get used to cooking without top-notch hardware, but they’re confident that they can figure out how to use a toaster oven older than they are without setting off the fire alarm more than a couple of times.

Past the kitchen, the living room seems a bit more ritzy, if only by a few degrees. Spark always loved to play games, so it's no surprise to Blanche that he has a decent settup in front of the couch with a widescreen TV, low-end stereo, and an old-looking Wii. The couch itself looks like it was recently pulled from storage; not in bad shape, but definitely aged. The three workstations lined up all against the wall make them smile a bit, knowing Spark’s reputation for hopeful cooperation. It’s clear that he wants them all to work side-by-side, with his set up all the way on the right.

“I didn’t expect you to buy me a desk!” they say after a minute contemplating what to say. “Do I owe you anything for this or…?”

“Not at all!” He replies with a smile. “The three of these came as a set from the computer lab at my old Middle School. They renovated it, and these were the least-destroyed out of the bunch they were throwing out. Got the whole set for $40. No drawers, but I figure we can manage with our backpacks or something.  
“And over here I already got little cubbies for our hats and gloves in the closet” he excitedly makes his way over and opens the door. Inside, sure enough, hanging from the coat rack, is colour-coded cubbies for shoes, gloves, hats, and scarves. It’s then that Jolteon pads up beside the two as they stand there, admiring Spark’s work. 

“I picked yellow obviously” Spark says, kneeling down to pet his sparky friend. “But you can go with whatever you like.”

The decision isn’t even a question in Blahcne’s mind. They simply kneel down to take off their shoes and deposit them into the blue cubby without a second thought, thankful that their lifelong friend remembered their favorite color from so long ago. They find it odd the the rest of the closet is full of Nerf guns, but decide that it’s not an appropriate time to bring it up.

“...and over here I’ve got the Wii and cable box.” the guy jumps right back in with enthusiasm. “It gets only the standard package, but we can pitch in for more channels if you want, and…”

“Spark!” Blanche calls out to him a bit abruptly

“Huh?” he stops in his tracks, looking up at his friend, Jolteon meeting their eyes as well.

“I really appreciate all that you’ve done to get the place ready for me and your friend to move in, and I’m sure I would love to hear about everything you’ve gotten ready for us,” They sound exhausted as they pull out their phone “but it’s twelve thirty at night, and I have to spent all tomorrow unpacking. My pokemon need food, and I need sleep”

“Oh! Yeah! Totally!” he changes gears in an instant, knowing himself well enough that he’s not offended by someone pointing out his ramblings. “Go ahead and put your stuff down in your bedroom, let all your pokemon out of their balls, and I’ll have a quick dinner ready for all of ya, okay?”

“Oh god, You’re the best man.” They sigh in relief, already turning to the hall.

“The middle one is the one I made blue!” he calls out, clearly having thought out this color coding thing.

Blanche finally makes their way to the room that Spark had pointed out, noting the little blue sticker beside the door handle. /That kid is such a gem/ they think to themself as they head in, already stepping out of their backpack. Unsurprisingly, the room is decked out in different shades of blue that Spark must have accumulated over the summer from yard sales and Craigslist. The lack of matching between the bedsheets, curtains, and armchair makes the room seem more natural. It makes Blanche wonder what else in the apartment Spark put the effort into color-coding. They figure it’ll be an amusing first few days finding out, item by item.

For now though, Blanche’s exhaustion is quickly catching up to them. They know their meds are wearing off, and it’s only about a half hour until the tiredness is overwhelming. At Spark’s suggestion, they reach into their pocket to pull out the various pokeballs that have been sitting dormant during the four-hour ride up from Connecticut.

“Come on out guys” They call, releasing first their Vaporeon, then Abra, Nidorino, Litwick, Servine, and Lucario. With them all free, each stretches and yawns in turn, then quickly finds their best friends within the group. Abra floats his way over to Lucario to better share their mental link. Vaporeon and Nidorino lay near Litwick, borrowing heat from her flame. Servine goes right over to Blanche, the newest of the group to be brought on and thus still shy around the others. They kneel down to pat the poor thing’s head and provide gentle words of encouragement, letting the grass-type know he doesn’t have to force himself  
to do anything he’s not comfortable with.

Back in the kitchen, Spark’s Weedle and Fennekin stand over the pan where he’s searing Basculin Fellet, the fox providing the flame for the skillet. The smell fills the kitchen, adding to the odor of the beans he had already steamed a minute ago. His Jolteon stirs anxiously, the aroma of his favorite food making him almost too eager to wait. Off beside the desks, his Arbok sits curled up by the heating vent of his desktop, not eating today since she’d already been fed a rattata this week. A recently-obtained Sandshrew is still deciding if Spark’s Jolteon is interesting enough to keep putting up with having a trainer, and counts the food as a point in their favor. Out in the garden, an oddish is sampling the local soil before finding a place to dig in for the night.

With dinner made for his friend and Pokemon, Spark sets the coffee table and calls out for Blanche. They manage to drag themself out to the living room, already dressed for bed. Spark and his Jolteon are seated on the couch, so Blanche joins them for an episode of Parks and Rec. What of their pokemon decided to eat tonight have already filtered into the living room, getting to know Spark’s party better over their own dishes. 

Blanche figures that TV-at-the-table is pretty much the norm in a house the size of their room, so doesn’t question Spark’s quick taking to it. The meal is nice, the apartment isn’t big enough for a dining room, and the show is easy enough to tune out. In no time at all, Jolteon has finished his fish and laid out across Spark’s lap. The other worn-out pokemon find places to rest as well, ensuring that they have their strength for unpacking Blanche’s stuff tomorrow.

At the end of the episode, Spark looks around to see all his friends asleep or getting there. The problem is that Blanche is among them, having slumped against their vaporeon.

“A little help?” He whispers to their abra while gesturing to her trainer. Understanding, the psychic-type uses her telekinesis to gently hoist the narcoleptic and their Vaporeon off the couch, down the hall, and into their new bed with spark getting doors all the way. 

“Goodnight~” he says softly before plugging in their phone and heading to bed himself.


End file.
